In creating bracelets for my shop I dug through some fine silver beads I'd made a few years ago when I was doing more metal clay work. (You can read more on my blog about metal clay if you go to this blog post.)

A few of these beads inspired 3 new bracelets that I adore.

The first couple are inspired by the earth, while the last is inspired by the sea.

Forest Walk is a brooch I've created in PMC (Precious Metal Clay) and a Fine Silver bezel. Both PMC and Fine Silver are practically synonymous except in their original form. PMC, a brand name for one of the metal clays on the market, is composed of fine silver (99.9% pure silver) and an organic binder that burns off in my kiln, leaving just the fine silver. Sterling Silver, as you probably know, is an alloy of 92.5% silver and other metals, usually copper.

This past weekend I spent in Oakland, California at a jewelers' retreat called Bay Area Bead Extravaganza, or BABE for short. It's a real treat to go to one of these as you're surrounded by creativity, positive energy and joy. Spending time with like-minded individuals is relaxing and inspiring at the same time. Learning something new is always something that gets me up and to also have the chance to shop in a vendor hall filled with a myriad of tools, stones and beads...